Ashley Merrick - India: Bride of Indiana (American Mail-Order Bride 19) (8 page)

“Of course. Thanks for the dances, India.” Smith walked away as Richard took his place and pulled India in close. But she didn’t mind being so close to him. She loved it, actually. They were so close that she could feel the slight stubble on his jaw as her cheek brushed against him. He had one hand on her waist and the other lightly across her back. One of his fingers tapped against her back, keeping time to the music and the touch sent shivers up her spine. This was the first time she’d felt her husband’s touch, except for the brief kiss they’d shared when they got married. She leaned into him and sighed, enjoying the warmth of his body against hers. When the song ended, the band played another slow song and they stayed on the dance floor, swaying to the music, lost in their own world, until it ended. The band decided to take a break and they reluctantly left the dance floor. Richard had an expression that India couldn’t read. He seemed lost in his thoughts.

“Would you like another drink?” he asked when they reached their table and he saw that her glass was almost empty.

“Are you going to have one?” she asked. He was drinking whisky and his glass was nearly empty as well.

“I thought I might have one more,” he said.

“Then I think that I will, too.”

He went off to get their drinks and India decided to visit the ladies’ room. While she was in one of the powder rooms, she heard two other women come in and recognized one of the voices as Olivia’s.

It sounded like they were in the front area, fixing their hair possibly. Something made India stay put, though, when Olivia started speaking in a softer voice and she thought that she heard her name, but wasn’t sure.

“There’s not much you can do about it now, though, right? After all, they are married?” she heard a voice say.

“I’m not ready to give up yet. She’s just a mail-order bride, someone he brought from Boston to take care of his children. More like a nanny, really. I heard that there’s nothing romantic there. If they haven’t consummated the marriage, it could be annulled. I’ve wanted him to be my husband for as long as I can remember.”

“Is it him you want? Or just to be married to someone with his level of wealth and power?”

Olivia chuckled. “What do you think?”

The other woman laughed. “You’re terrible. Are you ready to go out there? If you’re going to make your move tonight, you’d better do it soon, while his wife isn’t around.”

“Let’s go.”

India heard the door close and then waited a few moments for her temper to subside before she exited the stall and washed her hands, and then checked her appearance in the mirror. Olivia may be beautiful, but she wasn’t looking too bad herself and Olivia and another think coming if she thought that India was going to stand back while she made a play for her husband.

W
hen India came
out of the ladies’ room, she slowly made her way back to the ballroom and scanned the crowd. Richard was at the same table he’d been at earlier and her glass of wine was by his side. But so was Olivia. Everyone else was off dancing, so it was just the two of them and Olivia was laughing and flirting with Richard. She was lightly touching his arm as she talked and looking up at him, batting her eyelashes. It made India feel sick to her stomach to see it. She felt even worse when she saw Richard smiling back at her. He was obviously enjoying the attention. She supposed it was understandable. Olivia was a beautiful girl, after all. She almost felt like she was interrupting something as she sidled up to Richard’s other side and reached for her wine glass. Olivia shot her a dirty look.

“Hello, India. So nice to see you. That dress looks familiar. One of Laura’s I believe?” she said in a sugary sweet voice that set India’s nerves on edge. Who would dare point out that someone was wearing a borrowed dress? She thought that was incredibly rude, but Richard didn’t even seem to notice.

“Yes, it’s Laura’s. Isn’t it beautiful?”

Olivia narrowed her eyes. “Yes, it’s lovely.” Then she turned on the charm again, looking directly at Richard as she spoke to India. “I was just telling Richard how much I love this song. You don’t mind if I steal him for a dance?”

The nerve of her! There was no polite way for India to say no, so she just nodded and said, “Of course.”

Richard shot her an apologetic look as Olivia led him onto the dance floor. India seethed as she sipped her wine and watched them. She supposed that it was what she deserved, though. Richard had likely felt the same when she’d danced with Smith earlier. But maybe he hadn’t? Maybe he hadn’t cared at all, and it was Olivia that he preferred to dance with. Maybe it was just bothering India so much because she was starting to realize that she had developed romantic feelings for Richard. That she wanted to be more than just the mother of his children. But as she watched the two of them twirling and smiling and they made their way around the dance floor, she wondered if Richard had any feelings for her. Maybe it was completely one-sided and he would never be able to get over losing his wife. Or maybe he just wasn’t interested in her that way? And Olivia was more his type. She thought about what Olivia said and wondered if it was true. Maybe they could get an annulment. Then Richard could be free to marry Olivia and consummate that marriage.

India couldn’t stand to watch them together a moment longer. She went to take another sip of her wine and realized that her glass was empty. She’d said earlier that she was only going to have one more. But, now she found herself heading toward the bar at the furthest end of the room, as far away from the dance floor as she could get. She ordered a new glass of wine and then walked to the edge of the room near the silent auction items, and pretending look at those while she sipped her drink and felt sorry for herself.

“It can’t be that bad.” Smith was back by her side and looking at her curiously.

“I don’t know. I really don’t know.” India realized she wasn’t making much sense and she didn’t really care. She wasn’t interested in Smith. The only man that she would ever be interested in was on the dance floor with another woman and she wasn’t sure what to do about that.

“You love him.” It was a statement with a bit of surprise to it.

“What?” She looked at Smith then and paid closer attention to what he was saying.

“It’s obvious to me. I didn’t see it earlier and for that I apologize. I don’t typically make a move on married women, but I’d heard that you had an arrangement of sorts. I can see now that I was misinformed.”

“Who told you that?” India asked sharply.

“Who do you think?” Smith glanced toward the dance floor as Olivia and Richard twirled by.

“Olivia.”

“None other than. I think it’s wishful thinking on her part. She quite clearly has designs on your Richard, I’m sorry to say.”

“That’s all right. It’s not your fault. But what do I do about it?”

Smith chuckled. “It’s clear to me what you need to do.”

“What’s that?” India was feeling confused and her thoughts were a bit muddled from the wine.

“Well, it’s quite obvious that he’s in love with you, too. I half expected him to deck me when he came out to take my place on the dance floor. Every time I looked up, he was watching us. I felt like a jerk. Your husband is a good man. Just tell him how you feel.”

“I don’t know.” India took another sip of wine and felt miserable as she saw Richard laugh at something Olivia said.

“Trust me. He’s not interested in her. He probably can’t wait for the song to end.”

“I hope you’re right.”

“I am.” Smith grinned. “But if things don’t work out, you know where to find me.”

India smiled. She knew that Smith was just trying to lighten the mood. She watched as the song ended and another one began and Olivia tried to get Richard to stay on the dance floor, but he shook his head and headed back to the table. He was looking all around and then saw her standing next to Smith and she saw him frown.

“It was nice talking to you,” India said as she headed toward to table and to Richard.

“You’ve been talking to that Smith fellow quite a bit tonight,” Richard commented as India reached the table.

“I just ran into him when I was getting another glass of wine. While you were busy dancing with Olivia.”

“You got another glass of wine?” Richard sounded surprised.

“I guess I was thirsty,” she said.

“Yes, well. Do you want to finish it? Or are you ready to head home?”

India took a small sip of the wine, set it on the table and then pushed it away. It tasted sour to her now and she didn’t want any more. She just wanted to go home.

“I’m ready to go.”

They said their goodbyes and then drove home. Neither one of them spoke much. It was late and India was feeling a bit foggy from the wine and confused about Richard. He was just so hard to read. She had no idea if he had feelings for her or not, and the thought of telling him how she felt was terrifying.

W
hen they arrived home
, India went inside while Richard brought the horses to the barn and settled them for the night. While he was doing that, India decided to put a kettle of water on the stove for a cup of hot tea. It gave her something to do and she thought the warmth of the tea would be soothing. She knew that Richard liked a cup of tea as well, so she went ahead and poured one for both of them and added sugar to both. He came inside just as the tea was ready to drink.

“I made us some tea.”

“Oh, thank you.” Richard shrugged off his coat, hung it in the front hall closet and then joined India in the kitchen. The air seemed electric and a strange energy surged around them as India leaned against the kitchen counter and sipped her tea.

“I had a really nice time tonight,” she said finally.

Richard nodded and took a sip of his tea, and then set the cup down on the counter. He took a deep breath and then pulled her close to him, held her face in his hands and looked deeply into her eyes.

“I couldn’t stand it when you were dancing with him. The thought of you in someone else’s arms and not mine was unbearable. Do you have any idea how special you are to me, how important you are?” His voice was ragged as he asked the questions.

India shook her head and then whispered, “No. I have no idea how you feel about me.”

Richard leaned in and lightly brushed his lips against hers, and then pressed a bit harder and India sank into him. He pulled back briefly and smiled. “Well, now you know.” He crushed his lips against hers then and moved his hands to her back and neck, pulling her snugly against him. They stayed like that for a long time, kissing passionately and discovering each other for the first time as husband and wife. When they took a brief break, Richard admitted, “I’ve wanted to do that for a very long time.”

“So have I,” India said and the admittance took her by surprise. She’d only just recently realized her feelings for Richard, but they’d been there all the time, simmering under the surface. He pulled her in again for another kiss and shifted slightly, causing his cup of tea to fall into him, the hot liquid pouring out onto his thin shirt. Instinctively, he jumped back and ripped his shirt off while India reached for a cloth to attend to him and to the spill. She stopped short and gasped when she saw his bare chest and the angry scars that ran along one side.

A tortured look came into Richard’s eyes as India took a step toward him and pressed the cloth against his skin to wipe up the wetness. As soon as her fingers brushed against his scars, he flinched and took a step backwards. “This was a foolish idea. Take a good look because it’s the last time you’ll see these scars. I’m hideous. I don’t blame you for being repulsed. I repulse myself.”

“I’m not repulsed!” India exclaimed. “Not at all, Richard, I…”

But he cut her off. “I’m sorry, India. This was a mistake. We both got caught up in the moment and you had more wine than you should have. Your judgment was obviously impaired. We’ll move on from this, and go back to the way things were. It will be like this never happened.”

“Are you sure that’s what you really want?” she asked in a small voice.

“It doesn’t matter what I want. It’s what has to be. Good night, India.” He turned and left her then, walked up the stairs, holding the cloth and damp shirt over his scarred chest. She wanted to run after him, but she sensed that the moment wasn’t right. Instead, she cleaned up the rest of the spilled tea and then went to bed herself, and with tears running down her cheeks, she drifted off into a restless sleep.

W
hen India came
downstairs the following morning, she wondered if the night before had really happened as she remembered it. It felt a bit like a bad, hazy dream. But then she saw a piece of the broken teacup on the kitchen floor and was reminded that it was all very real. She bent to pick up the chipped piece and put it in the trash. Then she set about putting water on the stove for coffee and making toast and scrambled eggs for breakfast. Jim and Mary were going to bring the children to church, so they would meet them there and then go back to Richard’s parents’ for Sunday dinner.

She was just pouring coffee when Richard came downstairs and greeted her as he usually did, as if nothing out of the ordinary had happened between them the night before—as if she still couldn’t feel the imprint of his lips on hers. She looked away and pushed a mug of coffee towards him.

“Coffee’s ready, and there’s eggs and toast if you’re hungry,” she offered.

“Thanks. I’m starving, actually.”

She scooped eggs and buttered toast onto two plates and then sat down at the kitchen table with him. Neither of them spoke much as they ate. When they finished, India cleared the plates and Richard pulled on his boots to go outside.

“I’m going to take a walk in the fields. I’ll be back in about an hour or so and then we can head off to church.”

He left and India decided to draw a hot bath for herself. She heated up several pails of water and then brought them into the bathroom and poured them into the big clawfoot tub. She added some more water to bring the temperature down just a bit and then she sank into the tub and closed her eyes. She stayed like that for a good thirty minutes or so, just floating in the warm water, her mind and thoughts empty. Finally, when the water cooled, she grabbed her washcloth and gave herself a good scrubbing before toweling off and changing into a clean dress to go to church.

Richard drove them into church and they took their usual seats. Julia and Sammy waved to them from the row in front. They were seated with their cousins and Jim and Mary. India focused on the sermon and enjoyed the music. The chorus sang several Christmas carols that lifted her mood. It was hard to feel down this time of year. After the service as they filed out and paid their respects to Pastor Jonathan, he asked India how she was settling in. She told him how much she’d enjoyed his recent sermons.

“Thank you. I’m so glad to hear that.” He looked thoughtful for a moment and then said, “You know, if you’re interested in getting more involved with the church, we have several ministries that might be of interest.” He went on to tell her about the knitting ministry, how they made shawls to give to the sick, and how the choir could always use new members.

“I’m afraid I’m quite tone deaf. You wouldn’t want me anywhere near your choir,” India joked.

“That’s quite all right. We’re open to other ministries as well if you think of a way to serve. In fact, we have a large room in the basement that could be used for something. Someone mentioned possibly a thrift shop or something, but no one has come forward with a plan as of yet. I just wanted to let you know that we’d welcome your ideas and your gifts, however you’d choose to offer them.”

“Thank you, Pastor. I’ll think about that. I would like to get more involved.”

As they walked outside, India looked back at the church and got a glimpse of the area the pastor was referring to. The basement was somewhat raised and had small windows looking out. From what she could see, it appeared to be a large room indeed, that spanned the length of the church. There was plenty of room for a thrift shop or who knows what else. India wasn’t sure if the idea of a thrift shop was really calling to her. But what? She was feeling drawn to that space, though, and sensed that there was something she was meant to do there.

S
he had
to get her thoughts off of Richard. So, for the rest of the day while they enjoyed a lively Sunday dinner at Richard’s parents’ house, India’s mind was spinning, thinking of various ideas and then discarding each one in turn. Finally, while they were in the kitchen helping Kay clean up the dishes, the perfect solution came to her when she saw Kay dump a basket of rolls in the trash.

Kay chuckled when she saw the expression on India’s face. She clearly thought that India was dismayed by the waste. But, she wasn’t. Not completely. She was inspired.

“I know it’s shameful to toss out perfectly good bread, but Tom and I can only eat so much before it goes bad, and I’ve already packed up the rest for the others to take home.”

But India wasn’t paying attention. She finally had an idea that she was excited about, and it was all thanks to Richard’s mother and Ray Brannigan, whom she planned to speak to before their women’s group meeting on Wednesday. She would have to talk to the pastor before then too, of course, so if everyone agreed, then she could present her idea to the women’s group as well. Though with or without their support, India was determined to go forward with her idea. She was excited to have something worthwhile to focus on. She didn’t want to say anything to anyone, though, until she spoke to Ray Brannigan. She was fairly certain the pastor would approve of her plan, but without Ray’s involvement, it would be difficult to make it happen.

After dessert, she decided to tell one person. She was dying to tell someone and she knew Laura would want to be involved and might want to come with her when she went to see Ray Brannigan. As excited as she was about her idea, she was a little nervous to see him by herself. As soon as the opportunity presented itself, she pulled Laura aside and told her what she was thinking.

“That’s brilliant. I think Ray Brannigan will love this idea and I’m happy to go with you for moral support. It’s your idea, though, so you should be the one to present it to him and then to the women’s group if he agrees.”

“If you’re sure?” India was still feeling a bit nervous about presenting her idea publicly.

“I’m sure. I’ll be right there with you. But it’s your idea and your passion for it will come through.”